Sprinkling apparatus.



E. A. MATHERS. SPRINKLING APPARATUS. y .'AP'PLICA'TION FILED JAN. 19, 1907. BENI-)WED PEB. 18, 1913.

'1 1,068,797. Y Patented July 29, 1913.

2 BHBETS-SHEET 1.

E. A. MATHERS.` lSPRINKLING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19 1,068,797..

, 1907. RENEWED FEB. 18, 1913.

v Patented July 29, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

EZRA A. VIVIA'JIHERS, OF GREENSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

i SPRINKLING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1913.

Application led January 19, 1907, Serial No. 353,162. Renewed February 18, 1913. Seria-l No. 749,282.

To aU fui/mm it may conce-rn.'

.le it known that l, EZRA- A. MATHERS, a citizen et' the United States, residing at Greensburg, in the county of lVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sin-inkling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention consists in providing a traicling irrigatipg structure or sprinkler, capable of automatic operation and of covering a wide area, and adapted to sprinkle the ground covered in a thorough and complete manner, resembling natural rain, all as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the 'accompaliying drawings which are made a part' hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a structure embodying my said invention. Fig. Za view of the top of the central portion thereof on an enlarged scale as seen when looking downwardly from the dotted line 2-2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3, a cross section as seen when looking in the direction indicated by the arrows from the 'dotted line 3-3 in Fig. 2, and' Figs. 4, 5, (i, 7, and 8, detail sectional views showing the separate parts of the apparatus, on an enlarged scale,

A F ig. 8 showing a modied form o-fy the sprinkler head.

In said drawings theportions marked A represent the rails forming the track on which the apparatusv is adapted to run, B the frame work of the truck, and C the frame work of the sprinkler carrying harm. The track may be any suitable track for the purpose, preferably composed of old railroad rails A mounted u on bed plates orsleepers A. The truck rame B is of suit able forni` to support the various parts of the mechanism preferably composed of iron beams, bars, and plates, secured togetherin appropriate manner, and has wheels B mounted on axles b5 supported in suitable housings B5 formed or secured on .said frame, said wheels being adapted to rest Aand run upon the rails A of the track. The

top B2 of said frame :is circular in form and has gear teeth formed in its outer edge. Tt :is supported from the main frame by posts o and has a top surface adapted to serve as a turn table or track for the frame C. Said vframe C is preferably composed of pipes nected to form the support for the sprinkling pipe C, and-is of the length desired.

`upon the gro-und by its own weight only and not be driven down by the pressure in the pipe, which Wouldtend to pack the surface. By having the transverse pipes of thev head c? jointed to pipe C near its top, as shown, the sediment, if any, is allowed to pass along to the end of pipe C and be discharged through larger openings, Without any danger of clogging said heads.

A shaft 1 lisjournaled in suitable bearings on standards B3 mounted on the truck frame B and extends across one side of said truck frame at right angles with its axis. A hollow spool 2 is mounted upon one end of said shaft andcarries a hose 4 Which is con-` nected at one end to a fitting 5 communicating with the interior of said spool 2, and at its other end is connected with a lfitting 6 on a Water pipe or main 7, which may be laid underground between the rails of the track, as shown in Fig. 3, oron the top of the gro-und, as preferred. lSaid shaft 1 is holler', and at a point Within the cylinder 2 is formed with slots in its sides, and at its outer end, within the bearing box on the top of standards B3, it is formed with perforations. A pipe 8 is connected with said box 60 and leads to the lower end of a hollow vertical shaft 9- which is connected by a ball and socket joint said pipe 10 and leads horizontally to a water-motor Y12 which is carried from-suitable supports on the frame C. A shaft 13 runs'in each direction from said Water motor and is driven thereby and has a Worm 14 on its inner end anda Worm 15 on its outer end. Said Worm 14 meshes with a gear 1G mounted on a sleeve 17 surrounding the central shaft 9. Said sleeve 17 also has beveled gears 18 and 19 arranged a distance apart adapted to mesh alternately with gear wheels 20 and. 21 on the shafts 1 and 51. Worm *15 meshes with a gear 23 on a short vertical shaft 24 which is mounted in a bearing 25 on a part of the frame C. On the lower end of said shaft 24 is a gear 26 which meshes with the teeth in the periphery of the ring B2. Said worm 15 is preferably mounted loosely on said shaft 13 and connected thereto by means of a clutch 27 which is connected with said shaft 13 by means of a spline and adapted to be slid into and out of engagement with a clutch part 28 on the end of said worm by means of a. shifting fork 29 pivoted on the frame C.

Shaft 51 is mounted in line with shaft 1 in bearings in the top of standards B6 mounted on frame B on the opposite side of its axis from standards B3. Said shaft 51 has a spool 3 mounted thereon around which a cable 22 is wound as shown most plainly in Fig. 2; one endextending in one direction and the other end in the other direction in line with track A, the two ends eX- tending to a pointI at the opposite ends of the track where they are secured to posts or other stationary devices. A circular trough B8 is supported from the frame BV in substantially the same plane with the circular track or plate B2 in position to receive the bdischarge of the waste pipe 30 of the water-motor 12.

The shafts 1 and 51 are journaled in true line with eachother, and their axis at right angles with' the axis of the vertical shaft 9. The miter gear wheels 20 and 21 on the adjacent ends of said shafts 1 and 51 are in position to mesh with either the miter gear wheel 18 on the upper end of sleeve 17, or the similar gear wheel 19 on its lower end according to whichever one is thrown into engagement. A cylinder 31 is mounted centrally on the frame B, supported 'by brackets 32 from said frame, and Contains the sleeve 17 which is mounted to have a vertical movement in the cylinder. A piston 33 is mounted rigidly on the sleeve 17, and adapted to move therewith. A branch pipe 34 leads from the upper end of said cylinder 31 above piston 33 to the casing of a three way valve 35 which is connected by a pipe 36 with a'downwardly extending branch or pipe 8. Another pipe 37 leads from the lower end of said cylinder 31 -at a point below piston 33 to said valve casing 35. Said valve casing 35 is provided with a valve 38, on the stem of which is mounted an operating lever 39. A waste pipe 40 leadsv from said valve casing.

In operation, the apparatus being in the position shown in the drawings, mounted upon the track, and with the-parts connected, and the ends of the cable 22 secured at each end of the track, the water under pressure in the main 7 being turned into the hose 4 soon fills the cylinder 2 with water 1 under I'the same pressure as in the main 7, which iows through the slots in the central portions of the hollow shaft l, then through the perforations in its inner end into pipe 8 and through pipe 8 into the vertical hollow shaft 9, and from thence through the branch 10, into the long sprinkling pipe C, carried on theframe C, and also through the pipe 11 operate through the cable 22, which is made fast at each end of the track, to pull the car or truck carrying thestructure in one direc! tion, the cable being wound upon cylinder 3 in one direction and payed out in the other direction. The .gears being of the same slze, as well as the cylinders 2 and 3,

the hose 4 will be either'wound upon cylinder;2 or payed out therefrom'with the same speed, as the cable 22.- The clutch parts 27 and 28 being inl enga-gement, the worm 15 is driven, which is in engagement with the gear 23, and thus serves to drive the shaft 24 and the gear 26 thereof. Said gear 26 being in mesh with the teeth on the circumference of the circular track BZ-will serve to turn the frame slowly around upon said track or turn table B2, thus giving the entire structure C, with the long sprinkling, pipe carried thereby, a rot-ary movement around the car or truck. The water in the meantime which passes into pipe C isA flow# ing out through the sprinkling heads c2 and being distributed like natural rain over the entire surface of the fground. The Vwater flowing through pipe 11 and water motor 12 discharges through the disch arge pipe 30 into the circular troughv B6 and passes through pipe 41 downwardly into a horizontal pipe 42 which extends across between the rails A on the under side of frame B2, being supported in suitable brackets 43. Said pipe 42 is perforated on its under side and the water thus flows through said perforations and serves to sprinkle the surface between the rails, which may be, and preferably are, a considerable distance apart in order that the structuremay be made of suflicient width to afford awide base for the structure C to travel upon and thus support it in a secure manner. In the meantime the valve. 38 being adjusted for the water to iiow through branch pipe 34 and 36 into cylinder 31 above piston 33, holds the sleeve 17 downward with the gear 18 .in mesh with the gears 20 and 21. lVlhen the car reaches the end of the track, lever 39 will strike a post 75 or other suitable part appropriately and also open a port from pipe 34, to dis.

charge port 40, thus allowing the water under pressure to flow through pipe 37 to beneath piston 33, and the water above said piston to discharge pipe 40, serving to lift said piston 33 upwardly until gear 18 is freed from the gears 20 and 21, and the gear 19 is thrown into engagement with the lower side thereof, thus starting the shafts 1 and 51 in ythe reverse direction and changing the direction; of the car or truck carrying the sprinkling` apparatus. The motion will continue in the reverse direction until' the other end of the track is reached, when lever 39 will be thrown back by striking the appropriately arranged post 75 or yother suitable part and `piston 33 be again shifted to throw gear 18 into mesh with gears 20 and 21 and start the car in the reverse vdirection again- Thecar thus operates to travel back and forth without attention as long as may be necessary to furnish the -moisture needed for irrigating the soil as may be required. When desired the pressure may be turned off the water main 7 by a suit-able valve, and the whole structure will stop. If it is desired to use the apparatus without giving it the rotary motion, clutch parts 27 and 28 are thrown out of engagement, when the frame C may be carried `back and forth across the area covered in the same position as shown in Fig. 1. Should it be desired for the car to stand stationary and the structure C to revolve, thus covering only the area within the scope of its length, both gears 18 and 19 may be adjusted out of engagement with the gears 20 and 21 by lifting said sleeve 17, by` means of lever 62, which is pivoted on one of the adjacent supports of cylinder 31 on a pivot 63 and has a fork 64 on its inner end which engages in a groove in a collar 65 at the lower end of said sleeve 17. Said lever may be secured by a latch 66 so that 'said gears will run free and not drive the shafts 1 and 51 with the cylinders thereof.l

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. A sprinkling apparatus comprising a -truck adapted to travel upon a track, a

transversely extending frame-work mounted to be rotated on said truck, mechanism for rotating said frame work, a sprinkling pipe carried on said frame work, a. water main located adjacent to said track, mechanism for operating said truck back and forth upon said track, a device connect-ing the water main withy the truck-operating mechanism and the transversely extending frame operating mechanism respectively, whereby both are operated by theV water pressure, and means for controlling said mechanisms, all substantially as set forth. A

2. In a sprinkling apparatus, the combination, of a truck adapted to travel upon a track, va water motor for propelling said' truck carried thereon, a sprinkler mounted upon said truck, a hollow cylinder, a hose mounted on said cylinder with one end connecting with its interior and the other end adapted to be attached to a water main adja- -cent to the track, a pipe leading from said cylinder mounted in suitable bearings on the truck frame, means for propelling said truck comprising a shaft mounted in suitable bear# ings on said truck frame, a drum on said shaft, a cable mounted on said drum, the opposite ends of said cable being made fast at opposite ends of theitrack'respectively, means for revolving said drum. and thus drawing the truck 'back' and forth, and means for reeling up and paying out said hose as the truck travels back and forth toward and from the point of attachment with the water main, substantially as set forth. v

4; In a sprinkling apparatus, the combination, of a truck, a sprinkler mounted there'- on, a central vertical hollow shaft connected with said sprinkler, a horizontal hollow shaft mounted in suitable bearings on the truck frame, a pipel leading from said horizontal shaft to the central vertical shaft, a cylinder mounted on said horizontal shaft, a hose attached at one end to communicate with said cylinder and at itsgother end attached to a water main, a second shaft mounted in line with and on the opposite side of the truck frame from said first horizont-al shaft, a cable drum carried by' said second shaft, gear wheels on the adjacent ends of said horizontal shafts, a sleeve mounted on said central vertical shaft to have alimited sliding movement, gear wheels mounted thereon adapted to engage with the gear wheels on said horizontal shafts, and means for shifting said sleeve vertically to throw one or the other of its gear wheels into mesh with the gear wheels on said horizontal" shafts, a

water motor, a pipe leading from the vertical shaft to said water motor, a third hori- Azontal shaft` connected to be driven by said' water motor, and a gear betweenl said third yhose and cable respectively, substantially as set forth.

5. In a sprinkling apparatus, the combination, of a truck, a sprinkler carried thereby comprising a pipe, a central vertical hollow shaft mounted on said truck frame and communicating at its upper end with said sprin` kler pipe, a hose cylinder and a cable cylinder mounted on each side respectively of said vertical shaft and having gear wheels on their adjacent ends, a sliding sleeve mounted on said central vertical shaft and carrying a gear above and a gear below the edges of the gears of said horizontal shafts a distance apart somewhat greater than the diameter of said gears, a hollow cylinder surrounding said sleeve, a piston mounted on said sleeve within said cylinder, a pipe leading from each side of said piston to a pipe leading to the water supply, a valve casingV connected to said pipes containing a valve arranged to connect either pipe with the water supply pipe and the other pipes with the waste pipe, said valve, and means at each end of'the track for throwing said valve from one position to the other, whereby the water pressure is utilized to drive said apparatus back and forth, substantially as set forth. Y

6. In a sprinkling apparatus, the combination, of a truck, a sprinkler mounted thereon comprising a sprinkling pipe, a vertical hollow shaft mounted on said truck the upper end of which communicates with said sprinkler pipe, a hollow horizontal shaft on said truck, a hollow cylinder mounted there-- Ion, a'hose connected at one end with said hollow cylinder and at the other end -to the water main, said hollow shaft being formed with openings within said cylinder and at its inner end being perforated within the bearing box, said bearing box, a pipe running from said box to the vertical hollow shaft, a sleeve mounted on said vertical hollow shaft carrying a gear wheel atits upper end, a water motor carried by the s rinkler frame, a pipe leading from said vertical hollow shaft to said water motor, a horizontal shaft driven by said water motor and geared at oneA end to the gear on the upper'end 0;" said sleeve, other gar'wheels on said sleeve adapted to engage with gear wheels on the shaft supporting the hose cylinder and a cable cylinder, said cable cylinder mounted ona horizontal shaft' in line with the hose cylinder shaft on the opposite side of the truck frame, a cable mountedaround said cylinder and attached at each end to fixed 'p holding devices at opposite ends of the track, a cylinder surroundingl the sleeve on the the cylinder, a pipe leading from the cylin der on each side of said piston respectively to the lwater supply pipe, and means for 'connecting said water supply pipe with either side of said piston, whereby thehose and cable cylinders may be driven in either direction and reversed at each end of the track to traverse the truck back and forth, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Greensburg, Pa., this central shaft, a piston on said sleeve within Y 27th day of December, A. D. nineteen hundred and six.

.EZRA A. MATHERS. [n s.]

Witnesses: A

' W. F. WEGLEY,

Enw. P. DoRAN. 

